Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any financial support made available to Continental Airlines to operate a direct flight between Edinburgh and Newark, USA will be made available to a low cost airline or other carriers seeking to open up links with new destinations in Europe should Continental Airlines not proceed following the recent terrorist attacks in the USA.

Lewis Macdonald: No additional resources have made been available by the Scottish Executive for the establishment of any direct air services between Edinburgh and the USA.

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funds or support will be made available to low cost or other carriers seeking to open up new routes to European destinations following the recent terrorist attacks in the USA.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has no specific budget provision for the promotion of international links. The Executive will continue to have discussions with its agencies (enterprise networks and VisitScotland) on how best any available funding can be deployed for the greatest benefit of the Scottish economy and tourism.

Central Heating

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the level of registration of interest in its central heating programme by households living in private rented housing in rural areas compared to the Scotland-wide average.

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in private rented housing in each local authority area have registered an interest in the central heating programme.

Jackie Baillie: Those who have registered an interest in the central heating programme to date were asked to give an address only. Of the total number of expressions of interest, some 30% are estimated to be from rural areas. There is no information on the number of expressions of interest from private renters in rural areas. Eaga’s strategy to publicise the programme will take full account of home owners and private renters in rural areas.

Central Heating

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many leaflets publicising the central heating programme were made available for distribution in each local authority area.

Jackie Baillie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14987 on 30 April 2001.

Central Heating

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to publicise the central heating programme to encourage the take-up of grants by pensioner households in private rented housing in rural areas.

Jackie Baillie: Local authorities and housing associations are responsible for identifying eligible tenants. Eaga will be using a range of media to encourage applications from homeowners and private renters throughout Scotland.

Child Welfare

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure accommodation places for children currently exist and where those places are located.

Nicol Stephen: The information is as follows:

  


School 
  

Secure Places 
  



Rossie School
Montrose
Angus DD10 9TW 
  

25 
  



St Mary’s Kenmure
Bishopbriggs
Glasgow G64 2EH 
  

30 
  



Kerelaw School
Kerelaw Road
Stevenston
Ayrshire KA20 4JY 
  

24 
  



Howdenhall Children’s Unit
Braid Unit
39 Howdenhall Road
Edinburgh EH16 6TY 
  

5 
  



St Katherine’s Centre
Guthrie Unit
29B Balmwell Terrace
Edinburgh EH16 6PS 
  

7
(Including 1 emergency bed) 
  



The Elms 
317 South Road
Dundee 
Approval temporarily withdrawn pending completion of refurbishment 
  

4 (Including 1 emergency bed)




Total 
  

95

Child Welfare

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the review of secure accommodation places for children.

Nicol Stephen: Jack McConnell and I have recently received the report from the Secure Accommodation Advisory group. It raises a number of complex issues and we are considering carefully its advice on strategic management of the secure estate. We hope to make an announcement on the way ahead before the end of this year.

Digital Technology

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the report Connecting Scotland; our broadband future , whether the responsibility for upgrading existing services will lie with local telecommunications companies; if so, how they will be financed and by whom and, if not, with whom the responsibility will lie.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Availability and extension of services is a commercial matter for operators which we would expect to be dependent upon demand. The Executive’s strategy, based on the aggregated procurement of public sector connectivity, aims to provide a volume of demand that will help providers make a business case regarding upgrading of existing services.

Digital Technology

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement in its report Connecting Scotland: our broadband future that competition must be encouraged, what measures it plans to take to ensure that local supply procured on a local basis is not monopolised by one company, given that BT plc is the prime owner of local loop technology.

Ms Wendy Alexander: A formal procurement process has not yet commenced. The Scottish Executive is not in a position to anticipate the content of bidders’ proposals. The procurement strategy is to ensure that the solutions procured are those which most appropriately meet the broadband strategy objectives.

  Telecommunications companies can take advantage of local loop unbundling and, more generally, it is open to telecommunications companies to offer solutions which involve purchase by themselves from BT. The Executive has also stated that it expects a range of technologies will be required to meet procurement needs in the Pathfinder areas, including, in some instances, solutions which bypass the copper local loop.

Digital Technology

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recommendations of Section 4 of Connecting Scotland: our broadband future , whether it has any plans to introduce, or support the introduction of, compulsory sharing of capacity by cable and local loop suppliers with other tendering organisations.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Regulation of the telecommunications market is a reserved matter.

Digital Technology

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Section 5 of Connecting Scotland: our broadband future , what steps it has taken to extend current knowledge of Scottish networks by establishing disclosure agreements with telecommunications companies in order to obtain information of a commercial-in-confidence nature.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Telecommunications companies have, where they wished, provided information to us to inform our broadband strategy. A formal procurement process has not yet commenced.

Digital Technology

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the development of aggregated broadband procurement for the public sector, as outlined in Connecting Scotland: our broadband future , will be affected by the Government Secure Intranet and any related tendering process.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Government Secure Intranet (GSI), and any related tendering, is a matter for the Office of Government Commerce. We do not anticipate the GSI having an impact on aggregated procurement as anticipated in Connecting Scotland: our broadband future . That procurement is expected to focus on broadband connectivity.

Digital Technology

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the development of aggregated broadband procurement for the public sector, as outlined in its report Connecting Scotland: our broadband future , will be affected by existing national agreements such as NHSnet and SuperJANET4.

Ms Wendy Alexander: NHSScotland has contract arrangements under NHSnet until early 2004. NHSScotland will be exploring with the Digital Scotland Unit of the Scottish Executive, and with NHS suppliers, the options for procurement action before and after current NHSnet contracts expire.

  The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and the Scottish Further Education Funding Council are responsible for the provision of the SuperJANET network in Scotland, and for connections to all further education (FE) and higher education (HE) institutions in Scotland. The most recent FE/HE procurements were too far advanced, and too specialised, to be brought within the Executive’s current plans for aggregation. However, the funding councils have agreed with Digital Scotland to seek to co-ordinate future procurements wherever possible.

Digital Technology

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with organisations such as the Information Policy Unit of the NHS in England, the Department of Health and the Office of the e-Envoy in order to determine whether the proposals set out in Connecting Scotland: our broadband future will be affected by existing UK arrangements such as NHSnet and SuperJANET4.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Health department officials have kept colleagues in Department of Health and the NHS Information Authority informed of the proposals set out in Connecting Scotland: our broadband future  on the basis that existing contract arrangements will be sustained and will not constrain exploration of options for broadband delivery in the period leading up to the expiry of NHSnet contracts and beyond.

  SuperJANET4 is an academic network operated by the Joint Information Systems Committee on behalf of the UK’s higher and further education communities. The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and the Scottish Further Education Funding Council are members of the JISC and are responsible for the provision of the SuperJANET network in Scotland and the Scottish Executive has had discussions with UKERNA. The development of SuperJANET will not constrain the proposals set out in Connecting Scotland.

  Officials have had discussions with the Office of the e-Envoy, the Executive is represented on the OEE Broadband Stakeholder Group, and I have met the e-Envoy.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of implementing its individualised educational programmes initiative has been to date and what criteria it intends to use to monitor the success of this project.

Nicol Stephen: The cost of the Executive’s Individualised Educational Programmes (IEP) initiative - the "Success for All" project - is currently in the region of £170,000.

  The criteria being used to evaluate the success of the project are:

  the extent to which schools are able to use IEPs and the views of teachers regarding the value of them;

  the views of parents, pupils, voluntary agencies and others about their effectiveness, and

  evaluations of the in-service training carried out by the Success for All team.

Enterprise

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much is spent by companies on research and development in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Expenditure on research and development by businesses in Scotland amounted to £393 million in 1999, the latest year for which figures have been published by the Office for National Statistics.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 relating to "public nuisances" empower local authorities to compel a landowner to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way.

Rhona Brankin: It may be possible for local authorities to use provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to compel a landowner to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way in certain circumstances using powers under section 79(1)(a) and (e) of the Act. The precise application of the provisions in any particular case would ultimately be a matter for the courts to decide.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities have a statutory duty under the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967 to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way.

Rhona Brankin: Section 46(1) of the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967 imposes a clear duty on local authorities to assert, protect and keep open and free from obstruction or encroachment any public right of way which is wholly or partly within their area.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Occupiers’ Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 contains provisions which can be used to compel a landowner to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way.

Rhona Brankin: There are no provisions contained within the Occupiers’ Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 to compel landowners to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way. However, an occupier does owe a duty of reasonable care in respect of dangers on the land towards those who may be on their land.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities have any powers to compel a landowner to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way.

Rhona Brankin: Local authorities may have a duty themselves under section 46 the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967 to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way in certain circumstances. In addition it may be possible for local authorities to use provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to compel a landowner to clear landslip debris blocking a public right of way. The precise application of these provisions in any particular case could ultimately be a matter for the courts to decide.

Fuel Poverty

George Lyon (Argyll and Bute) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioner households in each local authority area live in fuel poverty.

Jackie Baillie: We have produced an all-Scotland estimate of the number of fuel poor households but the data does not permit disaggregation by local authority area.

Health

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of Waardenburg syndrome have been identified in each health board area in each of the last five years, specifying the ages at which cases have been identified.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information is not available centrally.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has ever been any risk of haemophiliacs contracting illnesses as a result of being treated with the blood plasma product Liberate.

Susan Deacon: Liberate has been subject to a programme of safety surveillance since it was licensed in 1996. During this period there have been no reports of transmission of pathogenic virus infections (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV) and only two reports of mild allergy type reactions.

  The following statement is included in the product literature:

  Despite a good clinical record the nature of products prepared from human blood or plasma are such that the transmission of infectious agents, including pathogens of a hitherto unknown origin, cannot be excluded entirely.

  The development of antibodies to Factor VIII in recipients of Factor VIII concentrates can prevent the treatment from being effective. This is a serious complication of therapy in the treatment of haemophilia A. The frequency of such antibodies occurring in patients treated with Liberate (1.8% of patients treated) is substantially lower than with other plasma derived or recombinant products.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who the members of the Housing Improvement Task Force are; what its remit is, and how many times it has met to date.

Jackie Baillie: The Housing Improvement Task Force is chaired by me and details of the membership and remit are given in the Scottish Executive News Release issued on 14 March (SE 0637/2001). Councillor Sheila Gilmour, Convener of Housing, Edinburgh Council has since joined the task force.

  The Housing Improvement Task Force met on 28 March 2001 and 10 September 2001. A number of sub-groups have been established and these have also met on a number of occasions.

  The Housing Improvement Task Force website (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/hitf) has been set up to provide both access to the papers and the work of the task force and a mechanism for comment and to make views known. It also contains details of the membership and remit.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16469 by Jackie Baillie on 24 August 2001, what provisions are likely to require to be made in secondary legislation in order to protect any existing entitlement to the right to buy on the part of tenants whose houses are transferred to a registered social landlord which is exempt from the right to buy as a result of its charitable status.

Jackie Baillie: Secondary legislation will be required based on the provisions of section 11 of Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, to ensure that all tenants with secure tenancies or with assured tenancies with a preserved right to buy, before the introduction of the Scottish secure tenancy, can continue to exercise the right to buy on existing terms and conditions after the introduction of the Scottish secure tenancy.

  In addition, paragraph (13)17 of schedule 10 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, when commenced, will repeal the Preserved Right to Buy as set out in section 81A of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 and the associated regulations. The Preserved Right to Buy applies to secure tenants whose houses are the subject of a disposal to a "private sector landlord" which is defined in the 1987 Act to include registered housing associations. At present, such tenants continue to have the right to buy even when the transferee landlord has charitable status. In order to achieve a similar result after the introduction of the Scottish secure tenancy, the intention is to use secondary legislation to continue the protection given to any pre-existing right to buy entitlement of tenants in houses which are transferred to a registered social landlord that had charitable status at Royal Assent of the 2001 Act.

Justice

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage and support pro bono initiatives by advocates and solicitors.

Mr Jim Wallace: Pro bono work by solicitors and advocates is first and foremost a matter for the legal profession.

Justice

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage and support the active promotion of a strong pro bono culture in Scotland, commencing in the law faculties of universities and continuing through all levels of professional practice.

Mr Jim Wallace: Pro bono services provided by advocates and solicitors are primarily a matter for the legal profession itself. The content of law courses at Scottish universities is for the universities to determine, in consultation with the profession.

Land Reform

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary question to question S1O-3689 by Mr Jim Wallace on 6 September 2001, what action it will take in relation to any leaflets distributed by Scottish Natural Heritage which are based on the provisions of the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill as consulted upon.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), produces a wide range of publications relating to natural heritage and to outdoor recreation. Editorial responsibility for these publications rests with SNH. However, where any reference is included to Executive policy, SNH would normally clear the text with us. I understand that SNH has not as yet produced any leaflets based on the provisions of the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Legal Aid

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the Scottish Legal Aid Board with pilot schemes on different forms of access to legal services.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Legal Aid Board has considered a wide range of applications for pilot projects under Part V of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986, and will be making an announcement on the successful projects soon.

Legal Aid

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the Scottish Legal Aid Board on developing proposals for a user-friendly community legal service.

Mr Jim Wallace: I am awaiting the report of a broadly-based working group, including the Scottish Legal Aid Board among other organisations, which I set up to consider how a community legal service might be developed for Scotland. I expect that report at the end of October, and will consider the way forward once I have studied it.

Legal Aid

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on promoting methods for enhancing access to the civil justice system for disadvantaged members of the community or those with modest or moderate means through the delivery of more and better-targeted pro bono legal services.

Mr Jim Wallace: Pro bono legal services provided by solicitors and advocates are primarily an issue for the legal profession itself. Methods of improving access to civil justice more generally are being discussed by a broadly-based working group which I set up to consider how a community legal service might be developed for Scotland. I expect to receive its report at the end of October, and will consider the way forward once I have studied it.

Legal Aid

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin & Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact on the civil justice system of pro bono legal services provided by advocates and solicitors.

Mr Jim Wallace: Pro bono services provided by advocates and solicitors are primarily a matter for the legal profession itself, and information on the extent of such activity is not held centrally.

Legal Aid

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for legal aid in the form of assistance by way of representation at employment tribunals have been received by the Scottish Legal Aid Board in each calendar month since January 2001; how many of the applications received in each month were from (a) employees pursuing actions and (b) employers defending actions, and how many applications of each type have been granted.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the Scottish Legal Aid Board. The information requested is not held centrally.

Legal Aid

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Legal Aid Board’s total outlay in respect of grants for assistance by way of representation at employment tribunals has been since January 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the Scottish Legal Aid Board. The information requested is not held centrally.

Legal Aid

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information the Scottish Legal Aid Board has available to it on the general standard of complexity or difficulty of evidence presented at employment tribunal hearings in order to assist it in deciding whether a case involves evidence of a difficult or complex nature.

Mr Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the Scottish Legal Aid Board. The basic criteria to be applied are set out in The Advice and Assistance (Assistance by Way of Representation) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2001. The information requested is not held centrally.

National Parks

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a specific agri-environment scheme relating to land management in the proposed national park areas.

Ross Finnie: Farmers in National Parks will be eligible to apply to join the Rural Stewardship Scheme, but there are no plans to introduce a specific agri-environment scheme relating to land management in the proposed national park areas.

Police

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether community policemen stationed in rural areas receive specific training due to the nature of their beat.

Mr Jim Wallace: Community policing is intended to be delivered in a range of settings and the training provided to community police officers draws on rural as well as urban circumstances.

Renewable Energy

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to contribute funding to any university-based pilot projects on wave power; whether it will detail any such planned contributions, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Rhona Brankin: No. Renewable energy research and development funding is a reserved matter, and the programme is the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry. Many Scottish projects have benefited from this funding over the last decade, and should continue to do so as extra resources are devoted to the programme over the coming years. In recent weeks the Department of Trade and Industry has announced further support for Wavegen.

Road Accidents

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional funding has been made available to local authorities in order to address the requirements of the road traffic accident casualty reduction targets.

Sarah Boyack: Local authorities receive a block allocation to meet all non-housing capital spending. It is for each local authority to decide spending priorities based on local needs. For 2001-02, the single allocation has been increased by 24% overall.

  The Scottish Executive made available additional resources, totalling £5.2 million, to enable local authorities to take forward a wide range of Safer Routes to School projects in 2000-01. Between 2001 and 2004 a further £16 million is being made available to local authorities to take forward cycling, walking and safer streets projects.

  The Executive announced on 4 September funding of £810,000 over six years for pilot child pedestrian training schemes. Local authorities have been invited to bid for funding to run pilot training schemes for five to seven-year-old children in selected primary schools.

Road Signs

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the regulations relating to size, style and positioning of road signs for tourist attractions in order to address the expense involved for those who have to provide the current brown signs.

Sarah Boyack: There is no requirement for tourist attractions to erect tourist signs. Where signs are proposed they must meet the specification of the relevant legislation. The legislation and associated guidance relating to the size, style and positioning of all road signs, including road signs for tourist attractions, are reserved. The Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DLTR) is currently consulting on amendments to the relevant secondary legislation, which is Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1994. A copy of the consultation paper is on DTLR’s website.

Roads

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15440 by Sarah Boyack on 11 May 2001, whether it will list the sources of the other public/private sector funding for the M74 northern extension, specifying the amount of funding from each source.

Sarah Boyack: The £3 million of other public/private sector funding for the project has still to be secured. I have agreed with my partners in this project, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire Councils that they will use their best endeavours to secure contributions from other public and private sector bodies as the project progresses. The councils are presently considering potential funding sources.

Roads

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what standards of performance are specified in the contracts for the management and maintenance of motorways and trunk roads in relation to closure of a motorway or trunk road due to a road traffic accident.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive contracts with the new trunk road Operating Companies (OCs) contain procedures to address incidents that result in trunk road and motorway closures.

  The contracts require OCs to record all incidents where a trunk road is closed and they are required to initiate certain actions as soon as possible but not longer than predefined timescales following the notification of an incident that requires the closure or partial closure of a road. The contracts require the OCs to prepare an Emergency Response Plan that is issued to the emergency services. This plan contains information which enables the police, who would initiate a road closure, to call on the OCs to provide additional resources, if necessary, to assist the emergency services and maintain safety.

Roads

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial provision its transport delivery plan will make for addressing any backlog in local authority road, lighting and bridge maintenance.

Sarah Boyack: I announced on 28 September 2000 provision of £70 million to be included within the single allocation for local authority capital investment over the three years from 1 April 2001 to assist local authorities in tackling the backlog of repairs and maintenance to their roads. Local authorities also fund these costs from their revenue expenditure. It is for each authority to determine its expenditure and investment priorities across the range of its responsibilities, including for roads, lighting and bridges. Allocations beyond 1 April 2004 will be determined in the next Spending Review.

Rural Development

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2001 will come into force.

Ross Finnie: In the absence of a resolution of the Scottish Parliament to annul, the Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2001 came into force on Friday 28 September 2001.

Rural Development

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of this year’s total agri-environment budget will be available for the Rural Stewardship Scheme once the costs of all other agri-environment schemes have been met.

Ross Finnie: It is not possible at this stage to say how much will be available for the Rural Stewardship Scheme because payments will be funded from modulation and it is too early to know how much will be raised by modulation of 2001 CAP payments.

Schools

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is given to schools regarding the cost to parents of school trips within Scotland.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Executive does not provide advice to councils regarding the cost to parents of school trips within Scotland. This is a matter for local consideration and it would be for individual authorities to determine what advice should be available to schools in their areas.

Schools

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is given to schools regarding the cost to parents of school trips overseas.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Executive does not provide advice to councils regarding the cost to parents of school trips overseas. This is a matter for local consideration and it would be for individual authorities to determine what advice should be available to schools in their areas.

Schools

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage local authorities to increase the amount of money available to assist with the purchase of school uniforms.

Mr Jack McConnell: There are no plans to change the current arrangements for clothing grants for school pupils which are entirely at the discretion of education authorities.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the recent terrorist attacks in the USA will have on its strategy for tourism.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: The impact of the recent tragic events on the tourism industry will be taken into account in the review of our tourism strategy, which was already under way. On marketing, for example, VisitScotland has already indicated that changes will be made. We intend to present our proposals to a conference that is being organised by the industry on 19 November.

Water Authorities

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17371 by Ross Finnie on 22 August 2001, what investigations it plans to make into the circumstances surrounding the managerial restructuring of West of Scotland Water Authority, including the severance package offered to its former Chief Executive Mr Ernie Chambers, given that this restructuring exercise took place after the intention to merge Scotland’s three existing water authorities into a new single Scotland-wide authority had been announced.

Ross Finnie: None, as my answer to question S1W-17371 made clear there are no grounds for such an investigation.

Wildlife

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for licences under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the purposes of (a) preserving public health or public air safety, (b) preventing the spread of disease, (c) preventing serious damage to livestock, (d) preventing serious damage to foodstuffs for livestock, crops or vegetables and (e) preventing serious damage to timber, fisheries or inland waters have been (i) granted and (ii) refused in each year since the Act came into force.

Rhona Brankin: I wrote to the member on 22 July enclosing three tables showing individual licences granted by the Scottish Office and the Scottish Executive under section 16 since 1990. My answer to S1W-16300 explained that comprehensive information is only readily available for the period since 1990. The tables I provided with my letter show licences by year, species and purpose. Copies of all three tables have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 16175).

  Copies of relevant general licences were also enclosed with my letter. Copies of all general licences currently in force have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  In relation to statistics on refusals of licence applications, I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-16300 and S1W-17693.

Wildlife

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any licences have ever been granted under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 for the purpose of controlling predators and, if so, what the specific purpose of each licence was.

Rhona Brankin: The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes no specific provision for licences to control predators. Section 16 of the Act permits licences to be issued, in certain circumstances, for the purpose of conserving wild birds and wild animals and in order to prevent serious damage to livestock and fisheries.

  I wrote to the member on 22 July providing three tables showing licences granted by the Scottish Office and the Scottish Executive under section 16 since 1990. Cases involving predatory species, and the relevant section 16 purpose, can be determined from each table. Copies of the tables have also been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 16175). My answer to question S1W-16300 explained that comprehensive information is only readily available for the period since 1990.

  A summary of individual licences under section 16 issued in respect of predatory species between 1990 and 2000 is given. Figures for the 2000-01 season have not yet been fully compiled.

  

 

Licences 
  

Number Killed 
  

Purpose 
  



Ravens 
  

142 
  

710 
  

Preventing serious damage to livestock 
  



Pine Martens 
  

5 
  

0 
  



Otters 
  

3 
  

0 
  

Preventing serious damage to fisheries 
  



Cormorants 
  

382 
  

2,385 
  



Mergansers 
  

1,780 
  



Goosanders 
  

4,375 
  



Herons 
  

21 
  



Eider Ducks 
  

113 
  



  General licences under section 16 also permit the control of certain common bird species with predatory behaviour, such as crows, rooks, magpies, jackdaws, jays, greater and lesser black-backed gulls and herring gulls. Copies of all general licences have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

  No licence is required for the control of mammalian predators such as foxes, weasels, stoats or mink, which are not included on Schedule 5 of the Act, provided legitimate methods of killing are employed.